The familiar scent of rusted metal tore through the salty smell of the sea. Moonlight spilled through the space between the doors. It wasn’t bright enough to fully illuminate the content inside, but it didn’t seem they’d need any more light. Even from outside, it was clear the container was empty.
Except for a faint scent that overpowered the sea’s brine. Director Yeon wrinkled his nose, a crack forming in his otherwise calm expression.
“Sir!”
Ignoring Kim Chulwoo’s call, the man strode into the container. The rusty metal smell typical of containers and the faint echo inside left him with a sense of discomfort.
Reaching the far end inside the container, he stopped. A powerful scent of pheromones filled the air. There, huddled in the farthest corner, was an omega, crouched with his head down. The round crown of his head entered the man’s sharp line of vision.
“What’s this now?”
At the sound of his voice, the omega slowly lifted his face. The omega tilted his head, studying the man.
“What I was supposed to receive…”
An omega who couldn’t even control his pheromones.
“…wasn’t a mutt like this.”
There was no trace of mockery in his voice. He spoke with a calmness, as if stating a simple fact.
Out of habit, Director Yeon’s lips curled up slightly. Kim Chulwoo, who had followed him in, used his phone to shine a light into the corner of the container. At that moment, he locked eyes with the omega crouching there.
“…Ah.”
The omega’s pale face, expressionless, let out a short sound of surprise.
Only then could Director Yeon take a close look at the omega’s face as he looked up.
“Tsk.”
The omega was just a kid, still soft and downy-looking.
That brief thought was all he had. What mattered to him wasn’t the pheromone-leaking omega but the reason Chief Nam had sent this omega.
They had checked the container as it arrived from Serbia, passed through Vietnam, and then Incheon. Since Chief Nam’s side managed the cargo in Korea, if he’d switched the contents intentionally, it would likely have happened in Incheon.
Even in a situation where hundreds of millions had vanished, Director Yeon showed no hint of urgency. He didn’t even seem annoyed by the situation. With the same bored look, he merely gazed at the omega crouched in the container instead of the cold metal weaponry he’d expected.
Even though the artificial light from Kim Chulwoo’s phone was quite bright, the small omega just quietly looked up at him with blank eyes. Director Yeon narrowed his gaze slightly.
Right at that time, a phone vibrated. Kim Chulwoo turned off the flashlight, checking the name displayed on the screen. It was Chief Nam.
“Sir. It’s Chief Nam.”
Kim Chulwoo reported, taking his eyes off the phone screen. His tone was as usual, but he tried his best to hide his frown. The pheromones drifting from the corner of the container were grating on his nerves. For an alpha like him, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.
If he had been an ordinary alpha, he would have been driven mad by the scent and lost control, but Kim Chulwoo, and the others nearby, were no ordinary alphas. To them, pheromones were nothing more than an irritation, something that grated on their nerves, no more, no less.
“What would you like to do?”
Kim Chulwoo asked Director Yeon, glancing at the omega crouched in the corner. It didn’t seem like the omega was releasing pheromones on purpose. The scent felt less like a surge and more like the lingering trace of a perfume. But if it could put someone as well-trained as him on edge, then the omega must be a dominant one.
A dominant omega. It was not something you see every day.
“Has our dear Chief Nam installed cameras here to watch us?”
Director Yeon made an offhand joke as he looked at the phone Kim Chulwoo handed him.
“He’s calling at such perfect timing.”
But the man didn’t pick up the call. He wasn’t some obedient dog waiting eagerly to answer its owner. If anyone should be waiting for a call, it was the person on the other end, not him.
Beep.
The call ended as he joked about it. Almost immediately, the phone vibrated again, indicating that Chief Nam called back the second the line was free. Kim Chulwoo, who had worked beside the man for a long time, tucked the phone back into his pocket. Though the phone continued to vibrate, he ignored it, his face expressionless.
“Wait outside.”
“Yes.”
“And arrange a beta to drive the car.”
“Understood.”
Kim Chulwoo turned back and disappeared outside the container. The sound of metal clanging beneath his feet echoed through the empty space. Enduring the unpleasant noise, Director Yeon examined the crouched omega carefully. His coat, clothes, shoes, even socks—the omega was clad head to toe in expensive designer brands. Yet it wasn’t exactly attire suited to ward off the cold.
Though the distance from Incheon to Busan waa relatively short for freight, it was December. In that outfit, enduring the chilly cold of the container must’ve been hard. Yet the omega wore a detached expression, as if he was used to it. No pleas for mercy, no questions about where he was, not even a single word asking who the man was. The omega was only looking up at him, nothing more.
“Say anything.”
Director Yeon nudged the omega’s foot with his own, his large shoes pressing against the smaller sneakers.
“…Yes?”
A fair face responded slowly. It was an odd conversation to be having on the cusp of winter, near a cold, windy harbor in a container. This was an unusual scene that might seem laughable to others, yet neither of them was smiling.
Hearing the faint voice, Director Yeon raised an eyebrow.
“Judging by your coherent response, it doesn’t seem like you’re on drugs.”
The man tilted his head slightly. Why had a dominant omega, adorned in luxury, ended up stashed in this container? It was certainly a gift from Chief Nam, but the intent behind it was a mystery. And he hated gifts with unclear intentions.
“This place…”
Just as he was beginning to feel a hint of boredom, the omega spoke up. The voice was small but clear. Director Yeon looked at him curiously, intrigued by what he might say first. Would it be a plea for mercy, or some desperate appeal similar to what so many others had tried against him?
“Are we… by the sea?”
It was an odd question.
Unconsciously, Director Yeon’s mouth twisted into a smile. He couldn’t tell if the sound that escaped himself was amused laughter or something closer to a scoff. But one thing was clear—he didn’t feel entirely displeased. For someone resigned to perpetual boredom, as if he could die tomorrow without a care, he felt a faint spark of interest in this strange moment.
Part of him wondered if this omega might be high on something after all. The omega had just crossed the ocean stuffed in a container, and now he was asking if they were by the sea.
But whether the small omega was on drugs or not was of little importance to him.
“Who knows?”
“……”
“Wanna check?”
Slowly, Director Yeon turned his back to the omega. Because his shoe was pressed against his, the sneaker-clad foot slid along with him, making a scraping sound as it dragged against the metal ground. He frowned slightly at the noise but did nothing more.
“Come on out. Unless you want to be raped by some alphas in rut.”
There weren’t any alphas here in that kind of state right now, but once he left the port with the men he’d brought along, the situation could become a different story.
This area was a high crime rate zone. Some people came here for minor illegal dealings, while others hid here to avoid being seen. If the omega kept emitting pheromones like that, it was unlikely he would make it through the night unharmed.
Instead of trying to convince the small, hunched figure any further, Director Yeon turned and headed straight out of the container. Once again, the unpleasant noise grated sharply in his ears.
As he stepped outside, Kim Chulwoo approached him. On his phone screen, the name ‘Chief Nam’ was still displayed. Kim Chulwoo’s gaze briefly flickered to the omega standing behind Director Yeon and then quickly returned.
“Sir.”
Director Yeon took the phone from Kim Chulwoo just as the vibration stopped. He glanced at the screen, where the word ‘missed’ was accompanied by the number 18.
“The driver?”
“I replaced him with a beta.”
“Follow in a separate car.”
“Understood.”
Though Kim Chulwoo had a slightly suspicious look, finding the sudden appearance of the omega unusual, he answered obediently. He didn’t move, clearly waiting until his boss got into the car first. The other alphas held their ground as well.
Instead of getting into the car, Director Yeon opened the back door himself. Then, he tilted his head toward the omega who had followed him outside. The phone in his hand continued to flash and vibrate with persistent calls.
“Get in.”
Contrary to the possibility of the omega showing resistance, expressionlessly, he merely looked at the man before climbing into the car.
Click.
The door closed. The man who had shut the door stood leaning against the car, grabbing a cigarette in his hand out of habit. Kim Chulwoo quickly approached to light it. The number on the screen had already passed 20.
Another call came in, but instead of answering, Director Yeon took a long puff from his cigarette.
He finally moved his fingers just as the call was about to end.
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